HCAELB
by Rue-Ryuzaki
Summary: During his battle against Ulquiorra, something horrible happens to Ichigo. Orihime's life won't ever be the same... HichiHimeIchi IchiRuki


This is just something I came up with during... Actually, I don't even remember anymore. I just had some fun with this series, don't know if this deserves the M-rating or not, you be the judge...

* * *

Everything had happened so fast.

One moment they were fighting, a few meters from her in fact, clashing their swords against one another, as the sound of the clashing metal echoes throughout the tower. Her eyes had trouble following the movements that the two made, barely able to just see a silhouette of the two figures disappearing and reappearing in different spots. At times it even seemed like they were more than just two of them.

Orihime Inoue had to close her eyes and reopen them just to be able to follow the two, praying her heart out that Kurosaki-kun, no, Ichigo would be alright. She had faith in him, she knew he could win... But, why was she so afraid then?

Maybe it was the fact that she had seen Ichigo struggle just to bring down Grimmjow, and had seen him almost get killed by Nnoitra if not for Kenpachi's timely arrival. Or perhaps she was just afraid of him getting hurt. She didn't want him to suffer, any of them, for her stupid decisions and foolish mistakes. She had gone to Hueco Mundo to save them, and then in turn the risked their lives going to Hueco Mundo just to save her. She would had laughed at the irony if she wasn't trying so hard not to cry.

Not just for Ichigo either. She could feel them outside. She could feel Renji slashing and hitting a few of the Exequias with his Zabimaru, as well as Chad who was holding his own quite well. Rukia appeared to be facing of against a stronger foe, as she could feel the slight cold breeze that came from the outside as Rukia slashed with Sode no Shirayuki, freezing a small portion of the area, while Rudobon moved in time to avoid getting frozen. Even more, she felt worried about the fact that she couldn't sense Uryu's presence there. She knew he was around, since she could feel him, but not there. Was he that badly injured? She would give anything to try and go heal them, help them, save them, anything. But she knew her place... she was just no match for these monsters. She just hoped, prayed, her friends were.

She was worried for them, as well as Ichigo, who seemed to be struggling more and more against his opponent. Maybe that was the reason she was so afraid. That man, no, monster. The fourth Espada of Aizen's army, Ulquiorra Schiffer. Never in her life she had seen such a person who could be so cold, so lifeless, so dead. She knew they were hollows, and hence, they were actually dead, but even so. A small part of her mind had seemed to think, despite how much she stated otherwise, that Ulquiorra had been correct. Only fools come into Hueco Mundo, and they weren't getting out alive.

Her hands gripped as her body shivered at the thought, an action not unnoticed by Ichigo, who even in the mist of battle never seemed to stop looking her way every now and again. Bad habit. Still, he regained his posture if ever so slightly, and his grip on Zangetsu tightened. His eyes met with Orihime's. He felt his friends fighting, struggling. He felt Renji fighting, Chad too. He didn't know were the hell Uryu was, and even thought he'd never admit it, it did worry him.

_Bastard. _He thought, his second hand joining his grip on Zangetsu, or Telsa Zangetsu to be more accurate. His eyes shined as his reiatsu raised. Ulquiorra seemed to widen his eyes, but Ichigo couldn't really tell. All he knew was that he had had enough of this guy.

_Renji, Chad, Ishida... Rukia, Inoue... I'll... protect all of you!_

For the first time, Ichigo actually felt it. All of his friends at once. Six hearts, beating as one. He closed his eyes, reopening them as fast as he did, and for a moment, they met Ulquiorra's. Then...

"Getsuga Tensho!"

The black wave of pure reiatsu power lashed out of Tesla Zangetsu at speeds faster than what Ulquiorra could actually predict. The force of the attack was felt by everyone nearby, friend and foe alike, as even Ichigo himself seemed surprise at its power.

The blast hit and swallowed Ulquiorra, as the Espada had just enough time to barely cover himself, as he, and a large portion of the tower, we blown off. Ichigo panted, his body feeling like it had surpassed its limit ever since his fight with Grimmjow, as his vision grew a little blurry. Nevertheless, he shook it off, and looked to the side at Orihime, who seemed to be running towards him.

"Kurosaki-kun!" She practically yelled, as she tried her best not to cry or stumble. The dress she was wearing might have been beautiful, but it made running a pain. "You... You did it!"

Ichigo smiled as he sighed. He knew it would take more than that to kill Ulquiorra, but he would stay put for a while. All he had to do was get Orihime out of there, go help Rukia and the others, then return and finish the job. Should be easy enough...

"Take it easy Inoue, I'm not going anywhere." He spoke, lightheartedly. "Come on, I told you I'd win, di-"

His body froze. Everything seemed to. For a moment the only thing he could do was look, his eyes darting in the direction where he felt a huge amount of menacing reiatsu. Ulquiorra, his clothes torn up, stood there. Blood dripped to the floor from a fresh wound the Espada sported on his chest that reached all the way onto his neck.

Ichigo felt a pang of fear, he had never seen that man look at him that way before. He had seen a few of Ulquiorra's expressions. Bored, uninterested, calm, collected. Now that he thought about it, he had probably only seen just one expression. But now, Ulquiorra's eyes showed pure hatred, the biggest sense of menace Ichigo had ever seen.

The Espada's hand extended towards him, his index finger pointing directly at Ichigo. Ichigo frowned as his hand once again gripped Zangetsu, his body ready to avoid the incoming cero. Orihime also seemed to notice, as she had stopped and began to retreat. Before Ichigo could move, however, his eyes widened.

_Wait a minute... his hand... two fingers?_ Ichigo thought as he clearly saw Ulquiorra extend his middle finger as well and join it with his index, both fingers drenched in his own blood. His expression did not change, but instead of firing, Ulquiorra moved his hand and took a different aim.

_Inoue!_

"Hey wait!" Ichigo practically shouted, which sounded more like a plea, while Orihime's eyes widened. "You said that Aizen needs her, you can't kill her!"

"Aizen-sama wishes for her to be safe, that is true." Ulquiorra spoke up, his features returning to normal. "But... I'm willing to make a wager."

Ichigo's eyes widened as he and Orihime just starred at the Espada, who continued to speak. "If the woman dies I will surely be punished, thought I'm sure Aizen-sama may spare me. However, if she dies, you would have lost one of the people you've sworn to protect. Didn't you say that was what gave you strength, what carried you on. This woman here, her heart, and those fighting outside. Do they really mean that much to you? This is my wager..." Ulquiorra stopped, if only to give more emphasis to the finishing statement. "If she dies... which one of us loses more!"

Ichigo didn't respond, he wasn't given a chance to. With the simple words 'Grand Rey Cero', everything seemed to darken. Orihime froze in place, her mind already knowing that she could not dodge the attack, much less stop it. Ichigo's body moved on its own accord, donning the hollow mask, as he moved towards Orihime. What happened next, no one really saw...

Orihime's eyes widened in shock, he mouth slightly opened as her body was drenched in blood. The once white dress was now crimson red, as her entire body shivered. The blood, was not hers. It was Ichigo's.

He had gone there to save her from the attack, from Ulquiorra. He, with his mask, had appeared in the nick of time, moving to grab her and dodge the cero. Unfortunately, the cero was faster than Orihime or Ichigo had expected, even Ulquiorra seemed slightly surprised. All Orihime saw was Ichigo, as his eyes narrowed slightly, and then she was covered in blood. Her left arm and legs hurt, so she presumed she had been slightly hit by part of the cero, but Ichigo.

Ichigo had been obliterated. There was no other word for it. One second he was there, the next only chunks of his body could be seen. She could see his arm, and a bit further she could she half of a leg, the rest was blood. Zangetsu was no where in sight, and Orihime's eyes widened in realization. Ichigo Kurosaki was dead.

Her resulting scream pierced the dark skies of Hueco Mundo, as she fell to her knees, tears streaming down her cheeks uncontrollably. "K-Kurosaki-kun... Kurosaki-kun, Kurosaki-kun, KUROSAKI-KUN!"

Ulquiorra's hands found their way back onto his pockets, as Orihime heard his steps walking towards her, as calm as ever. Her eyes narrowed. "Tsuba-"

"I wouldn't do that..." Ulquiorra's voice now much closer spoke, his sword inches away from her throat. "...If I were you."

"Y-You! You killed Kurosaki-kun!" She screamed.

"Yes, I did. It appears I was correct, he did have more to lose than I did. In the end, I suppose it could be called a draw. He saved what he wanted to save, and I won't get punished. You, however, lost." His cold voice spoke, as he waved his sword lightly. "Tell me this now, if you said your heart gives you strength, tell me. Does Kurosaki's gives him strength. I'm sure I could find his heart around here, somewhere."

Never in her life had Orihime wanted to actually kill someone as much as she did right now. A small chuckle escaped his lips, as his eyes narrowed. "What did you expect, I told you didn't I. He is just the first of all your friends who will meet their end here in Hue-"

Ulquiorra moved a few feet away, thanks to his Sonido, from Orihime, as the area he had been standing on froze. Part of his own foot had frozen as well, but his expression did not change. "Well now. It appears the next one is here."

Orihime's eyes widened as she saw Rukia Kuchiki standing there, Sode no Shirayuki in hand, gasping for breathe. Rukia's eyes shifted from the ground to Ulquiorra, then back to a blood soaked Orihime and her surroundings. Her heart felt like it had been cut out at that moment.

"I-Ichigo..." Rukia's voice spoke, softly, as tears streamed down her cheeks. She gave no thought of it, however, as her attention turned to the Espada. "You killed Ichigo!"

Ulquiorra was not given a chance to respond, not that he felt like repeating himself, but was instead forced to dodge an incoming wave of ice, followed by another one, and another one. Really, how much ice did this woman have?

"Hakuren!" Was all Ulquiorra managed to hear before being enveloped by a rather large cero-like blast of ice that covered him completely. It took him a few moments to set himself free...

Rukia stood in front of Orihime, Zanpakuto pointing at Ulquiorra, before speaking. "C-Can you... h-heal him?..."

Rukia's question was filled with fear, doubt, every part of her mind telling her that Ichigo was gone and would never return. Still, she had hope. Orihime just gave a faint nod, tears streaming down both girls cheeks, as she placed her hands above where he had been. She called on her Rikka and covered the area where she could see his arm and leg, trying her best not to look at them. "I-I'll try." Was her only reply.

"If you think I'll allow you to reject Kurosaki's fate." Ulquiorra's voice brought the two girls' attention towards him. "You're dead wrong."

In a flash, he was gone and headed towards them. Rukia poised herself, and shouted. "Do it fast!" Before flashing away to meet Ulquiorra's sword with her own. Rukia, even with all her anger, was still no match for the Espada, who after a few sword clashes, managed to give her a few deep wounds. Still, Rukia did hold her ground.

_Impressive..._ Was his only thought, as he carried on the assault. Rukia fared a little better this time around, managing to strike him twice. Her cuts, however, only froze a few parts of him, as his hierro was too strong for her to cut through. Even a Some no Mai, Tsukishiro, was not enough to even wound the Espada, much less defeat him.

The resulting fight made Orihime even more nervous, as she knew that if she didn't try and save Ichigo, he would remain dead. She had brought people back before, but even then, it took a lot of time. More so, she had never been so afraid, and for someone with a power based on her emotions, that didn't come of too well.

One final slash was enough to bring Rukia to her knees, and Ulquiorra stood a few feet from her. "Not bad, but your even worse that him."

"Don't you dare speak about him!" She shouted as she launched her sword at him, only to be stopped by his hand. Her eyes widened as he pointed his index finger at her, smiling slightly. "I speak about trash, however I wish..."

Before Rukia, or Orihime, could react Ulquiorra was thrown back by Hihio Zabimaru, who had crashed against the Espada. Rukia's eyes darted behind her to meet those of Renji Abarai's. "R-Renji, Ichigo-"

"I know." He stopped her, he had felt it already. "Just bring him back, I'll take care of this bastard in the mean time."

Not even waiting for a response Renji charged towards Ulquiorra, who had regained his stance, swinging Zabimaru as hard as he could. Zabimaru was then met by Ulquiorra, who one handedly held the Bankai in place, thought was pushed a bit back. Renji, however, smiled. "I think I'm starting to understand you Espada scum... Hikotsu Taiho!"

Instead of having to hold down a giant skeletal snake, Ulquiorra was forced to hold down a cero-like blast that said snake threw out of his mouth. Even for Ulquiorra, he had to admit it had some power behind it, but...

"You think this is enough? For one hand maybe, but do you really think-" Ulquiorra was stopped when he felt someone flash behind him. He felt the reiatsu of one of Kurosaki's companions, but this one had a hollow-like presence to him. Before Ulquiorra could react, Chad swung his Brazo Izquierda del Diablo at him, focusing all his power onto it while shouting. "La Muerte!"

Normally, Ulquiorra wouldn't have had much trouble stopping either attack, but both of them at once was different. Furthermore, Kurosaki had left his mark, and his fight against Rukia as well. Even Ulquiorra had his limits, and was forced to throw the attacks a bit out of target to avoid getting seriously injured by them.

Both Renji and Chad retreated and appeared next to Rukia and Orihime, the former who was laying on the ground trying not to force her body, and the latter who was trying her best to concentrate to bring Ichigo back.

Before either man could speak, Ulquiorra's reiatsu returned, and the four turned their attention back at the Espada.

Ulquiorra emerged from the rubble, a skull shaped crater that he had fallen onto, dusting himself off as a few new wounds graced his body. His shirt was nearly none existent, and his once long pants now seemed like swimming trunks. Still, his expression did not change. "I'll admit, it was stronger than I had anticipated..." Ulquiorra sighed, he had to get over the bad habit of underestimating these kids, trash or not. "But, clearly not enough."

"Damn it!" Renji roared as he clenched Zabimaru. "Just crawl over and die already!"

Both Renji and Chad went onto the offensive again, but having wasted so much power already, with both the Exequias and Ulquiorra, the proved little match against the Espada. Still, they did manage to keep themselves on their toes. Ulquiorra himself seemed to be weakening.

Ulquiorra's eyes shifted towards Orihime, who had successfully created a barrier to cover every possible place Kurosaki's body could have fallen into. If this kept on, her fate manipulating abilities would surely bring Kurosaki back, something he couldn't allow. While trash, this pests were bothersome, and together they posed something of a threat. Ulquiorra moved his sword for a moment, waving it before grabbing it with both hands. Both Renji and Chad froze.

_Damn it, is he going to release!?_

_This isn't good..._

Before Ulquiorra did, however, his eyes widened slightly, before a small smile graced his features. "For a minute there I though this trash would have forced me into using Resureccion. Nice timing, Yammi..."

Renji's and Chad's eyes widened as they turned to Orihime, who also had her eyes wide open when she realized that Yammi, Tenth Espada of Aizen's army, was standing mere inches from her. Rukia tried to move to help, but her body wouldn't respond. Both Renji and Chad did as well, but were stopped by Ulquiorra. "Weren't you two fighting me?"

Renji and Chad attacked, to no avail, as Ulquiorra just spoke while fending off their attacks. "Just make sure that girl doesn't do anything."

"Sure thing." Yammi's voice filled Orihime's ears. "First thing I think I'll do is remove this little force field she has here. And what better way to do it than by just knocking her out right? Aizen-sama wants her alive, I see no harm in that, do you?"

Orihime froze as she tried to heal Ichigo faster, to no avail. It just wasn't working. Maybe it was her self doubt. Maybe it was her fear. Maybe it was her lack of faith. Whatever it was, she could do anything as Yammi lifted his arm and swung it down at her, aiming for her head. The hit, however, never came, as Yammi's hand was wounded and two fingers flew from it. Clenching his hand in pain Yammi cursed, before turning his attention to his attacker. "What now, where did you come from."

Standing near the entrance, dressed in a fine tailored white outfit, bow in hand, stood Uryu Ishida. "None of your business Arrancar, or should I say, Espada."

"Ishida-kun!" Orihime shouted relieved, as Ulquiorra seemed slightly annoyed. Both Renji and Chad sighed, smiling at the Quincy. "Took you long enough." Was Renji's sole reply, while Chad just nodded. Rukia just looked on, trying, with no avail, to move.

"Well, well. Seems like there are more rats here in Hueco Mundo than I had thought. Didn't the Espada kill anyone of you?" Yammi spoke up, picking his nose in the process. "Oh wait, I forgot. Ulquiorra just did. Ha, ha, ha!"

Uryu narrowed his eyes, but kept his cool. "That is of no concern to me, Espada." Yammi just looked on, a bit dumbfounded at the response. "Wha-?"

"I'm a Quincy, I have no connection nor do I have any business with the Shinigami. They can do whatever they please, it's no business of mine." Uryu spoke up as he fixed his glasses, while the rest just stared.

"The hell! What's the matter with you Ishida! You damn bastard, we're here risking our asses to save Kurosaki's ass and you come here an-" Renji's rant was stopped by Chad's hand, placed on his shoulder, who shook his head. Having spent some time with Uryu, he pretty much already knew the latter's 'cool' act.

"Then why are you here... _Quincy_." Yammi mockingly spoke the last word, earning himself a glare from the teen. Uryu shook it off, speaking in turn. "I already said I'm a Quincy, I kill hollows. I just so happened to come by here and see that you were about to attack that girl over there so I stepped in. Nothing more. It's not like I felt the reiatsu of Kurosaki disappear from all the way over there at Szayel's lab and rushed over here like there was no tomorrow, killing any hollow that stood in my way until getting here just now and making up an excuse."

"...What?"

"Never mind Espada. I'm here, so what comes next-" Ishida was not allowed to finish, as he was blasted away by a very fast cero, Bala, that Yammi had fired. The Quincy was blown a few feet away, from which Yammi followed after, ignoring Ulquiorra's order for him to stay with Orihime. He used Sonido to reach the spot were Uryu had landed, but instead of finding a crippled Quincy, he was met by a bright thin sword that sounded like a buzz saw aimed directly for his head.

Yammi managed to avoid getting an eye cut out but was still cut by the cheek, resulting in his blood splattering across the white sand. Ishida's Seele Schneider was met by Yammi's own sword, as the two flashed across the desert using Hirenkyaku and Sonido respectively.

Ulquiorra's eyes just narrowed, as the grip on his sword loosened slightly. Both Renji and Chad took this opportunity to get their much needed air, as they both felt that they could hardly breathe, let alone move. Zabimaru roared slightly as he moved closer to Renji and poised itself to attack. Chad just clenched his fists, eyes shifting between their opponent and towards their comrades.

"Inoue..." Rukia's voice brought Orihime's eyes back to her, as Rukia managed to make her body move slightly to face the other girl. "How are you managing? Can you do it?"

"I-I... I will. I'll do it." She paused, feeling that she was fooling herself instead of inspiring. "I just hope that Abarai-kun and Sado-kun will be alright, I think I finally covered the entire area where K-Kurosaki-kun is..."

"You must hurry..." Was Rukia's last words before the exhaustion took over and her body fell limb. Orihime had to force herself from not extending the shield to cover Rukia as well so that she could heal her as well. Ichigo was the priority, bringing him back was hard enough with the amount of reiatsu he had. Healing Rukia was out of the question, God-like powers or not.

Orihime's attention was brought back to the Espada as the latter let out a chuckle, causing both Renji and Chad to shiver slightly. Ulquiorra swung his sword for a bit, before speaking. "Without Kurosaki to save you, you people seem to have an awful amount of bad luck."

Renji just raised a brow at the Espada's statement. "What do you me-"

"Inoue-san!" Chad interrupted as he flashed away from Renji's side towards Orihime, leaving the lieutenant puzzled. Before he could even ask a giant snake like creature appeared from under the ground behind Orihime. Her eyes widened as she saw the creature, hollow, or rather, Menos Grande.

Before it could sink its teeth onto her, Chad's fist connected with it. "El Directo!" One hit was enough to send the creature through the remaining parts of the wall that stood behind Orihime, and out into the deserts of Hueco Mundo. Renji sighed in relief, but then his eyes widened. Turning as fast as he could, Renji shouted. "Hik-"

A trail of blood that connected him to Ulquiorra's sword was the last thing he saw before everything darkened, while Ulquiorra just smirked. "You should have known better... that to turn your back to me."

"Abarai-kun!" Orihime screamed as she placed as much power into her Rikka as she could, hoping that it would be enough to bring Ichigo back. She didn't want to watch her friends die. She didn't want to die either. She wanted Ichigo to live, for them all to leave Hueco Mundo. They needed him; she needed him.

What happened next, she only saw a blur. She saw as Chad tried his best to fend the Espada off, but was tossed aside near effortlessly by the superior opponent. She felt Uryu's reiatsu trying to reach her, only to be stopped by the Tenth Espada. She then saw Ulquiorra grin slightly, while his hand moved towards her. Her world fell apart...

"I REJECT!"

The entire scenery became a blur, and then she found herself a few feet away from the Fourth Espada, who know bore a expression of shock, something she had never seen before. She looked to her side and saw an arm wrapped around her waist, while Rukia was being dangled by the other arm. She raised her head to see his and her eyes widened as tears come out at an accelerated rate.

"Kurosaki-kun!" Her arms wrapped around him as she cried, not being able or wanting to stop. _I-I did it. He's back. He's back. Kurosaki-kun's alive!_

"Inoue..." Ichigo's voice caused her to look up at him, while he released the grip he had on her. Moving a bit, he gently placed Rukia down, before turning back to Orihime. "W-What, just happened?"

"I-You... Kurosaki-kun." She wanted to hit herself, just to make sure he was alive instead of her being dead. She tried her best to continue, to speak to him. "You died, you were killed... saving me."

"Is that so... So, it wasn't a dream. I felt it, I felt like I was flying away, somewhere else. I couldn't even remember where I was, or who I was. It was all so..." He rubbed his eyes in an attempt to clear his head, but spoke up before Orihime was given a chance to. "I take it then that it was this guy who did me in huh? I feel a bit embarrassed to say the least, but you did play a dirty trick on me. I'll make you pay."

Ulquiorra remained their, silent. Ichigo frowned, pointing Telsa Zangetsu directly at the Espada, as the latter just tightened his grip on his sword. "It appears my wager was not fully thought through... Killing you won't be enough, I suppose. I'll have to incapacitate that woman first, then I'll be able to kill you, all of you."

Ichigo's reiatsu flared up, as Orihime instinctively took a few steps back towards Rukia, preparing to heal her fallen friend. Ichigo waved his sword slightly, aiming it directly at Ulquiorra's throat. He would end this once and far all. He could feel Rukia's low reiatsu, as well as both Renji's and Chad's. Even Uryu's reiatsu, who Ichigo had no idea when he had gotten there, wasn't all that high. Ichigo's left hand found itself covering his face, focusing his power onto it. Then...

Nothing...

Ichigo's eyes widened as he tried again, to no avail. No matter how much power he's put into it, he just couldn't focus enough power to gain his hollow mask. _W-What's... going on...?_

Ulquiorra just smiled, as he prepared to move in for the kill, again. "It seems like you're having some difficulties. Still I'd advise against lowering your guard when in my pres-"

A trail of blood left Ulquiorra's leg as the Espada leapt towards the side, narrowly avoiding a deeper wound on his leg. The Espada's eyes, alongside with both Ichigo's and Orihime's, widened even further.

_What..._

_It... can't... be..._

_H-He... He's..._

Standing where Ichigo had been revived, was a tall figure dressed in all white. His skin and hair also bore the same white tone, while his eyes were dark black, minus the yellowish tone. On his hand rested a Zanpakuto very much like Ichigo's, expect that instead of being fully black, this one was as white as its holder's skin and clothes. With a grin rivaling that of Ichimaru's, his eyes met with those of Ichigo's.

"Well now..." Ichigo's hollow spoke out in a voice that gave Orihime a slight fright, as he shifted his gaze from Ichigo to her, then towards Ulquiorra. "This is what I call interesting..."

* * *

I just had a small case of writer's block so I did what the doctor ordered and wrote myself something different. Don't even know whether I'll continue this or not, but if I ever get inspired again I'll continue it, which means that I probably will.

For those who are waiting for my other story to be updated, rest assured, the next chapter is nearly completed. Just needs a bit more...

If you're going to review, do leave some jam. Why you ask? Don't ask, just do...


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